Chapter 3: Fina
"Van-samaaaaaa!"
An orange blur rushed from the palace steps. Unable to tackle Van from atop his horse, Merle supplemented her greeting by latching onto his leg. "Van I missed you. It took me forever to figure out where you went. Why didn't you tell me?" She noticed two legs where there should have been one. "Hey?"
Hitomi peeped around Van's shoulder. "Konichiwa, Merle."
For a full instant Merle was actually speechless, which she quickly made up for. "Hitomi?! What - how - when did'ja get here? What have you been doing? Wait till you meet Fina! You have to see Fanalia now. We've rebuilt it completely with a new market and stores and houses and we fixed the palace and –"
Van interceded, "Merle, she'll see it herself. Where is Duke Chid and the others? I need to speak with them right away."
The cat girl pouted, "You didn't even say hello-nice-to-see-you-too."
Van smiled slightly and ruffled her ears as he dismounted. "I am glad to see you, but I didn't want you to come because it's too dangerous."
"I came with Fina."
Preoccupied, Van didn't hear her, turning to a nearby guard. "I need to speak with Duke Chid right away."
Hitomi climbed down from the horse. Emilee was helped by Allen who then took the reigns of the animals and headed for the stables.
Merle wrinkled her nose. "Men! Leaving you on your own when you just got here."
Hitomi looked at her past rival and present friend in astonishment. "Merle, you've grown!"
The playful, kittenish look about the cat girl had melted into something more graceful and beautiful. Not quite yet a woman, Merle had begun to develop the first curves that would eventually make her extremely appealing. Even the short, fuzzy hair on her head, ankles and wrists had lengthened into silky locks. But her eyes were the same curious, laughing, wondering and fun loving blue. She flung her arms around Hitomi, who winced; and the same spirit.
"Hitomi, I missed you, I really did!"
Hitomi squirmed, "Uh, thanks."
"Hit, is that talking?"
Hitomi turned and saw Emilee staring at Merle. "Oh, Emilee, this is Merle. She's one of the beast-people and best friend of Van. She can be annoying, but you get used to her."
Merle looked curiously at Emilee and asked Hitomi a question. She answered, and Merle bounded up to Emilee. Unsure with what to do, Emilee simply stood still and let the cat girl investigate her. The curly red hair was most fascinating. Merle played with a stand, watching it spring between her claws and laughed.
Someone came out of the palace. "Hey Hitomi, this is Fina. She's my new friend."
A graceful feline glided towards them. She was entirely different from Merle, a soft, smoky gray instead of vivid orange. She used calm and controlled movements, her hazel-blue eyes simply accepting what they observed. The only markings were the black ripples across her face and sheathing her arms and feet, creating natural gloves and boots. The black met in a swirl of cross-hairs to form a curious design on her forehead. She bowed gracefully.
"Welcome, people of the Blue Jewel."
Merle clarified. "We cat-people call the Mystic Moon the Blue Jewel. I never knew that till I met Fina." She put her arm around her shoulder in a teasing hug. "She's a seer too, Hitomi, like you."
Fina smiled tolerantly at her impulsive friend. "Only in certain times."
Merle, just to spite her, added, "She also is a teller. She sings stories."
"Merle." Her companion sighed.
Hitomi broke into the banter. "Where did you meet? I hadn't seen many of your people around."
Fina's hazel eyes grew distant. "I had heard of Merle and was curious about her. To see one of us had been raised by man. I decided to meet her. Even though the prejudice against our kind has lessened, trust is hard to rebuild. Many are still in hiding."
Hitomi nodded solemnly.
Merle bounded up the palace steps. "Come on you guys. We have to find your rooms."
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Hitomi unpacked her backpack, spreading its contents on the bed. It wasn't much, but perhaps she was better prepared that when she dragged her duffel bag to Gaea the last time. Merle prowled around her, curious over everything and catching Hitomi up on the past three years.
"Don't know exactly why Van's in Fried. Said it was an alliance – what's this?" She held up a tube of toothpaste.
"You clean your teeth with it. I use the little brush."
Merle unscrewed the top and sniffed. "Smells okay." She tenetively licked it. "Whew! That's strong!" Quickly she recapped the tube. "Anyway, I don't think this trip is just about a friendly alliance. Zaibach is still out there."
"Zaibach?" Hitomi's attention sharpened.
"Yeah, it's split up between generals and such. A lot of countries have reported attacks on their borders. I think this is about that." Merle picked up a wadded piece of cloth and scratched at it. Hitomi grabbed it exclaiming, "Hey that's my bathing suit! You'll unravel it."
The cat girl (or woman really) made a face at her. "Anyway, I also heard that one of Zaibach's old generals want's an alliance in hopes of stopping the power hunting. Don't know if he's telling the truth, but Van seems to think it's worth checking out."
Hitomi finished repacking her things and sighed. "I just hope he knows what he's doing."
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Emilee woke with sunlight spilling over her bed. Someone was humming softly nearby. She rolled over, and remembered where she was. This was a castle on another world with a different culture, different life, and different people. She opened her eyes and saw the gray cat-person she had met the day before. She was swaying gently from side to side in front of the small fire in the center of the room. Her strange blue, green, and gray eyes were half shut. The song came out as a half purr. Abruptly it stopped and she looked up. Emilee started, the strength it the gaze felt like she was reading her fate in her eyes. Fina (that was her name) stood and moved to the bed. Staring down at the red-head, she gently placed two fingers on her forehead and spoke.
"You have a purpose here. Your future is with that of Gaea."
Emilee understood perfectly.
A knock on the door made her jump. "Emilee-san! Are you awake yet?"
Fina vanished out the window like a wisp of smoke.
Emilee climbed out of bed. "Hai, Hitomi, just a minute." She opened the door. Hitomi looked uneasy,
"Emilee, something's wrong."
Emilee pulled her into the room. "What?"
"You know the empire I told you about?"
"The one with the weirdo who figured out how to change fate. The weirdo being Isaac Newton, one of the top discovers in the history of mankind? Yeah, I remember."
Preoccupied Hitomi corrected. "He changed destiny."
"Same difference." She paused, "Wait, is there a difference?"
Her friend sat down on the bed and explained. "The future is the general 'to be'. Fate is the path of an individual; it's always moving and changing. Destiny changes, but ends up in the same place."
"Oh."
"But that's not why I'm here. The last time I came to Gaea was to stop the world's natural future from being destroyed and to keep the last - to keep Van from being killed. But that's over with now. Why was I brought back, and why were you brought with me?"
Emilee shifted uneasily. Out of nowhere, Merle landed on the bed behind them.
"Hitomi! Guess what!"
Thoroughly scared out of her reverie, Hitomi threw the pillow at the cat woman. "Merle, have you ever heard of using the door?"
Merle only stuck her tongue out at her. "I just heard from Lord Van that Dryden and Millerna are on their way here. They're coming to discuss this whole treaty thing with Van, but we're going to have a big welcome party when they get here."
"When?"
"About seven days."
"But I can't dance."
Emilee spoke up. "I can teach you, and when your friend gets here, she can help."
Hitomi frowned, "Did you understand her?"
Remembering what Fina had said, Emilee shrugged uneasily. "Um, well, sorta. I got the gist of it. Gaean language is hardly different from Japanese, just that I have to retranslate it in my head."
Her friend nodded.
Merle jumped to the windowsill. "I'll see you later. When they get here it'll be just like old times."
Hitomi didn't look any happier.
Why is this happening?
"Van-samaaaaaa!"
An orange blur rushed from the palace steps. Unable to tackle Van from atop his horse, Merle supplemented her greeting by latching onto his leg. "Van I missed you. It took me forever to figure out where you went. Why didn't you tell me?" She noticed two legs where there should have been one. "Hey?"
Hitomi peeped around Van's shoulder. "Konichiwa, Merle."
For a full instant Merle was actually speechless, which she quickly made up for. "Hitomi?! What - how - when did'ja get here? What have you been doing? Wait till you meet Fina! You have to see Fanalia now. We've rebuilt it completely with a new market and stores and houses and we fixed the palace and –"
Van interceded, "Merle, she'll see it herself. Where is Duke Chid and the others? I need to speak with them right away."
The cat girl pouted, "You didn't even say hello-nice-to-see-you-too."
Van smiled slightly and ruffled her ears as he dismounted. "I am glad to see you, but I didn't want you to come because it's too dangerous."
"I came with Fina."
Preoccupied, Van didn't hear her, turning to a nearby guard. "I need to speak with Duke Chid right away."
Hitomi climbed down from the horse. Emilee was helped by Allen who then took the reigns of the animals and headed for the stables.
Merle wrinkled her nose. "Men! Leaving you on your own when you just got here."
Hitomi looked at her past rival and present friend in astonishment. "Merle, you've grown!"
The playful, kittenish look about the cat girl had melted into something more graceful and beautiful. Not quite yet a woman, Merle had begun to develop the first curves that would eventually make her extremely appealing. Even the short, fuzzy hair on her head, ankles and wrists had lengthened into silky locks. But her eyes were the same curious, laughing, wondering and fun loving blue. She flung her arms around Hitomi, who winced; and the same spirit.
"Hitomi, I missed you, I really did!"
Hitomi squirmed, "Uh, thanks."
"Hit, is that talking?"
Hitomi turned and saw Emilee staring at Merle. "Oh, Emilee, this is Merle. She's one of the beast-people and best friend of Van. She can be annoying, but you get used to her."
Merle looked curiously at Emilee and asked Hitomi a question. She answered, and Merle bounded up to Emilee. Unsure with what to do, Emilee simply stood still and let the cat girl investigate her. The curly red hair was most fascinating. Merle played with a stand, watching it spring between her claws and laughed.
Someone came out of the palace. "Hey Hitomi, this is Fina. She's my new friend."
A graceful feline glided towards them. She was entirely different from Merle, a soft, smoky gray instead of vivid orange. She used calm and controlled movements, her hazel-blue eyes simply accepting what they observed. The only markings were the black ripples across her face and sheathing her arms and feet, creating natural gloves and boots. The black met in a swirl of cross-hairs to form a curious design on her forehead. She bowed gracefully.
"Welcome, people of the Blue Jewel."
Merle clarified. "We cat-people call the Mystic Moon the Blue Jewel. I never knew that till I met Fina." She put her arm around her shoulder in a teasing hug. "She's a seer too, Hitomi, like you."
Fina smiled tolerantly at her impulsive friend. "Only in certain times."
Merle, just to spite her, added, "She also is a teller. She sings stories."
"Merle." Her companion sighed.
Hitomi broke into the banter. "Where did you meet? I hadn't seen many of your people around."
Fina's hazel eyes grew distant. "I had heard of Merle and was curious about her. To see one of us had been raised by man. I decided to meet her. Even though the prejudice against our kind has lessened, trust is hard to rebuild. Many are still in hiding."
Hitomi nodded solemnly.
Merle bounded up the palace steps. "Come on you guys. We have to find your rooms."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------
Hitomi unpacked her backpack, spreading its contents on the bed. It wasn't much, but perhaps she was better prepared that when she dragged her duffel bag to Gaea the last time. Merle prowled around her, curious over everything and catching Hitomi up on the past three years.
"Don't know exactly why Van's in Fried. Said it was an alliance – what's this?" She held up a tube of toothpaste.
"You clean your teeth with it. I use the little brush."
Merle unscrewed the top and sniffed. "Smells okay." She tenetively licked it. "Whew! That's strong!" Quickly she recapped the tube. "Anyway, I don't think this trip is just about a friendly alliance. Zaibach is still out there."
"Zaibach?" Hitomi's attention sharpened.
"Yeah, it's split up between generals and such. A lot of countries have reported attacks on their borders. I think this is about that." Merle picked up a wadded piece of cloth and scratched at it. Hitomi grabbed it exclaiming, "Hey that's my bathing suit! You'll unravel it."
The cat girl (or woman really) made a face at her. "Anyway, I also heard that one of Zaibach's old generals want's an alliance in hopes of stopping the power hunting. Don't know if he's telling the truth, but Van seems to think it's worth checking out."
Hitomi finished repacking her things and sighed. "I just hope he knows what he's doing."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------
Emilee woke with sunlight spilling over her bed. Someone was humming softly nearby. She rolled over, and remembered where she was. This was a castle on another world with a different culture, different life, and different people. She opened her eyes and saw the gray cat-person she had met the day before. She was swaying gently from side to side in front of the small fire in the center of the room. Her strange blue, green, and gray eyes were half shut. The song came out as a half purr. Abruptly it stopped and she looked up. Emilee started, the strength it the gaze felt like she was reading her fate in her eyes. Fina (that was her name) stood and moved to the bed. Staring down at the red-head, she gently placed two fingers on her forehead and spoke.
"You have a purpose here. Your future is with that of Gaea."
Emilee understood perfectly.
A knock on the door made her jump. "Emilee-san! Are you awake yet?"
Fina vanished out the window like a wisp of smoke.
Emilee climbed out of bed. "Hai, Hitomi, just a minute." She opened the door. Hitomi looked uneasy,
"Emilee, something's wrong."
Emilee pulled her into the room. "What?"
"You know the empire I told you about?"
"The one with the weirdo who figured out how to change fate. The weirdo being Isaac Newton, one of the top discovers in the history of mankind? Yeah, I remember."
Preoccupied Hitomi corrected. "He changed destiny."
"Same difference." She paused, "Wait, is there a difference?"
Her friend sat down on the bed and explained. "The future is the general 'to be'. Fate is the path of an individual; it's always moving and changing. Destiny changes, but ends up in the same place."
"Oh."
"But that's not why I'm here. The last time I came to Gaea was to stop the world's natural future from being destroyed and to keep the last - to keep Van from being killed. But that's over with now. Why was I brought back, and why were you brought with me?"
Emilee shifted uneasily. Out of nowhere, Merle landed on the bed behind them.
"Hitomi! Guess what!"
Thoroughly scared out of her reverie, Hitomi threw the pillow at the cat woman. "Merle, have you ever heard of using the door?"
Merle only stuck her tongue out at her. "I just heard from Lord Van that Dryden and Millerna are on their way here. They're coming to discuss this whole treaty thing with Van, but we're going to have a big welcome party when they get here."
"When?"
"About seven days."
"But I can't dance."
Emilee spoke up. "I can teach you, and when your friend gets here, she can help."
Hitomi frowned, "Did you understand her?"
Remembering what Fina had said, Emilee shrugged uneasily. "Um, well, sorta. I got the gist of it. Gaean language is hardly different from Japanese, just that I have to retranslate it in my head."
Her friend nodded.
Merle jumped to the windowsill. "I'll see you later. When they get here it'll be just like old times."
Hitomi didn't look any happier.
Why is this happening?